Advanced Access Manager <= 3.2.1 - Unrestricted AJAX Actions allowing Privilege Escalation

2016-06-21 00:00
James Golovich

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 3.2.2
Affected Plugin
Advanced Access Manager – Access Governance for WordPress
Affected Version
< 3.2.2
CVSS
8.8High
Weakness type
CWE-285 · Improper Authorization
CVE
CVE pending
View all Advanced Access Manager – Access Governance for WordPress vulnerabilities

At a glance

This record tracks a high-severity Improper Authorization vulnerability in the Advanced Access Manager WordPress plugin, affecting versions < 3.2.2. It carries a CVSS score of 8.8 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high confidentiality, integrity, availability impact). The issue is fixed in version 3.2.2; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed June 2016, reported by James Golovich.

Vulnerability Overview

The Advanced Access Manager plugin for WordPress does not use capability checks on any of its registered AJAX actions. This allows authenticated attackers with any privilege level, including subscribers, to perform actions including elevating their privileges to those of an administrator.

Technical Analysis

The vector marks this flaw as remotely reachable over the network, with low attack complexity — no special timing or configuration is needed, and no interaction from a victim user. A successful exploit has high impact on confidentiality, integrity, availability — full site compromise territory.

CWE-285: Improper Authorization

Reaching this weakness in Advanced Access Manager < 3.2.2 takes a caller who can reach the endpoint. Improper authorization means a permission check exists but does not cover the case being exercised, so a caller who is allowed to do one thing is allowed to do a neighbouring thing as well.

A lower-privileged account performs an action reserved for a higher one, which on a multi-author or membership site means an ordinary user reaching administrative behaviour. For Advanced Access Manager the fix is 3.2.2: builds < 3.2.2 are affected, anything from 3.2.2 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 3.2.2, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

Because it turns on account access, WordSec's login security is the relevant layer: role-based two-factor, captcha and brute-force limits raise the cost of getting the account this needs. None of that substitutes for the fix: Advanced Access Manager 3.2.2 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Login Security
  • Alerts

External References

https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/8530affb-0b6e-4b71-acab-3561cccc1855

Related records

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